Acknowledgement

Planning a Critical Project

Excerpt from John W. Rushton’s book,
Effective Maintenance Management Using Planned & Preventive Maintenance

A large maintenance project can take a significant amount of material and human resources, and can interrupt production.  Because of this, proper preparation and planning is essential.

Critical Project Planning requires dedicated effort and is time consuming. Success is directly proportional to the time and effort spent in the initial stages, and the quality of the information gathered.

We suggest that the initial planning of a large maintenance project be broken down into the following six categories:

The Definition:

The definition should include what you are going to do, and what you are not going to do. The biggest single reason for failure in the execution of a critical project is the adding of work after the project is started. This destroys momentum, which is essential for success. Every job added requires a completely new work plan. If the job is absolutely necessary, do it, but think about it.

The Task Statement:

This is a list of jobs or activities, which can be as detailed or as broad as you want to make them. Practice is the only way to develop skill in this area.

The Critical Path Network (CPN):

The initial CPN is designed to show the inner relationship between jobs, and prepare the planner to make a realistic bar chart.

The Bar Chart:

This is primarily a scheduling and man-power levelling tool. This chart, along with the CPN, will ultimately be the tools used to control the job.

The Parts List:

There is very little maintenance work where expected parts usage cannot be reasonably estimated before a machine is shut down. The parts business is particularly difficult, but the effort must be made. The parts list is usually started after the CPN because you need to know exactly what you are going to do before you can make an accurate estimate of the parts required.

The Cost Estimate:

It is unusual for a company to spend more on a repair than the cost of a new or rebuilt machine. All levels of maintenance management should develop a feel for costs.

You now have enough information to schedule the work and give management a reasonable estimate as to how much time and money it is going to take. After the decision to go is given, this information can be used as a tool to properly finish the planning, and to execute a successful project.

Find Out More About Planning Large Maintenance Projects at Rushton

Maintenance Planning Tip

Many companies attempt to execute maintenance planning within their organisations, many times unsuccessfully.

More often than not, these companies do not have the proper foundational data or processes in place at the onset, dooming their initiative to failure.

In order to reap the financial benefits from maintenance planning, an organisation should make sure that they first have a complete and accurate master equipment list (MEL), bills of material (BOMs), and a defined and enforced policy for work-order prioritisation. Additionally, it is necessary to have a detailed and practiced process for how the maintenance work will get done (maintenance workflows).

With these key foundational elements in place along with a proper understanding of the planning function, the planning initiative is sure to be a success!

Plan Ahead!

Tip submitted by Tim White, CMRP
MRG

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Last modified: 28 Oct 2008